Long Live the King
by TammyDevil666
Summary: Buffy meets a powerful vampire with a royal past that kidnaps her. Riley comes back and has to work with Spike to save her before she becomes a vampire.
1. Chapter 1

This takes place in the beginning of the 6th Season. I thought I would write my own version of Riley coming back. This is before I ever knew that he was coming back for another episode, so in mine he isn't married. Feel free to let me know what you think, this isn't my best work, but I try. That's all anyone can really do. The beginning is similar to the episode "Crush." I couldn't think of another way to start it.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
A bus arrived in Sunnydale, California from Los Angeles. The door opened and a tall, dark, mysterious man walked out. "Thanks for the ride." He said as he walked out of the bus. The driver seemed confused and turned to find all the other passengers dead with their throats ripped out. He let out a scream when the man came back and grabbed him by the neck, cutting his scream off. "Now, I can't have that." The man said as he bit down on the driver, sucking him dry. When he was done he dropped the dead driver to the floor and licked his lips. "This should be fun!" He exclaimed as he walked out of the bus and carried on into the night. In a nearby cemetery, Buffy Summers was patrolling for what seemed like another quiet night. She was glad because lately she hasn't been into the slaying as much. Ever since her best friend Willow Rosenberg brought her back to life things have been harder for Buffy. She had to deal with taking on all her responsibilities again. She kept walking when she heard someone behind her. She pulled out her stake and turned around and tripped the person who was trying to sneak up on her. Buffy raised the stake when she recognized the familiar male on the ground.  
  
"You really haven't lost your touch." He told her. She put her stake away.  
  
"Riley, what are you doing here? I could have killed you." She said, upset. Riley stood up.  
  
"Good thing you didn't." He smiled at her and when he saw that she didn't smile back his smile faded. "So, Buffy, it's been a while." He told her. She just turned and walked away.  
  
"A lifetime." She said as she kept walking. Riley caught up to her.  
  
"I take it you're not happy to see me." Buffy stopped and looked at him.  
  
"Why are you here? Then I'll let you know if I'm happy or not." She told him. Riley just shrugged.  
  
"I wanted to see you. Things were hard for me after I left. I really missed you Buffy." Buffy looked into his eyes.  
  
"I really missed me too." She said as she started walking away again. Riley went after her.  
  
"I take it things have been hard here." Buffy cracked a smile.  
  
"You have no idea." She said as she walked to the magic shop where she knew her friends would be. Before they walked in Riley gently grabbed her arm.  
  
"Care to fill me in on any of it." Buffy just shook her head.  
  
"It's nothing I want to talk about right now. Maybe I'll tell you later." Riley nodded.  
  
"That's good enough for me. Do you think that everyone else will be happy to see me or do they all hate my guts or something?" Buffy just shrugged and opened the door.  
  
"Hey guys!" She said as she walked in.  
  
"Buffy, how was patrol?" Giles asked when he looked up and noticed Riley behind her. "Riley, this is a surprise." He said as he cleaned his glasses. That's when everyone else looked up and noticed that Riley was there too. They were all at a loss for words.  
  
"Hey! Long time, no see." Riley stated. Everyone just nodded, not sure what to say when Buffy spoke up.  
  
"I ran into Riley while patrolling. He just came by to visit, and then he'll probably just leave again." Riley saw a sad expression on Buffy's face and he wanted to change the subject.  
  
"So, what's been happening here?" He asked. They all looked at Buffy.  
  
"I didn't tell him anything, yet. Is Dawn here?" She asked, quickly changing the subject. Giles shook his head.  
  
"She was, but she claimed she had homework to do and that it was too noisy here, so, Spike offered to walk her home." Buffy nodded.  
  
"Okay, well I better get home too. See you guys later!" With that she turned and walked out of the shop. Riley followed close behind her. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Buffy and Riley have been walking in silence, not sure what to say to each other when Riley spoke up. "So, I know I've been gone for a while, but you and Spike haven't done anything, have you?" Buffy stopped and looked at him.  
  
"Why would you ask that?" He shrugged.  
  
"I don't know, I was just wondering. I've been away and I know he has a thing for you." Buffy smiled at him.  
  
"Yeah, but nothing has happened. We're just...friends." She said as she started walking again. Riley walked with her.  
  
"So, you're friends now." Buffy nodded.  
  
"A lot has happened while you were gone. Spike has been there for me and he kept his promise and protected Dawn while I was dead." She stopped, realizing that she told him what she wasn't ready to tell him, yet. She mentally scolded herself, she should have been able to keep that from slipping out, guess she was more tired than she thought. She looked at Riley and saw a confused expression on his face.  
  
"You died? When did you die?" He asked, shakily. Buffy took a deep breath and decided to just tell him the truth.  
  
"It was about five months ago. It's a long story and I don't care to get into all the details, but I died and about two weeks ago Willow brought me back. Had to climb out of my grave and everything. She's really gotten powerful these days." Riley just stared at her.  
  
"Wow! I really did miss out. I am glad that you're alive though." Buffy nodded.  
  
"Yeah, me too." He noticed the sadness in her voice as she looked down.  
  
"So, has anyone else died in my absence?" When Buffy looked back at him he noticed tears forming in her eyes and he felt sorry that he even asked.  
  
"About a month before my death, my mom died." Riley cursed himself for being so thoughtless.  
  
"God, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything." He told her.  
  
"It's okay, I'm dealing." They were walking when Buffy heard a scream in the distance. She took off toward the scream and Riley followed. Buffy found a vampire biting some girl. She ran towards them and pulled the vampire off and threw him to the ground. "Get out of here!" She yelled to the girl. She didn't have to be told twice and ran off. The vampire stood up and smiled at Buffy. He was tall and handsome and Buffy thought he looked a lot like Angel, just more sinister.  
  
"So, you're the Slayer, you're prettier than I thought. We will meet again, when the time is right." With that he walked away and Buffy just stared after him. Riley walked next to her.  
  
"Who was that?" He asked.  
  
"Just another vampire." She told him as they both headed to her house, but Buffy knew that it was more than that; she had a bad feeling about the new vampire in town. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Buffy and Riley got to her house and they found Dawn asleep on the couch. Buffy walked towards her and gave her a gentle shove to wake her up. "Dawn, you should get to bed." Dawn woke up and rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Buffy, you're home." She then noticed that her sister wasn't alone. "Riley, what are you doing here?" She asked him.  
  
"Just visiting, how've you been kid?" Dawn got up.  
  
"Good and I'm not a kid. I'm going to bed." Dawn went upstairs.  
  
"You can sleep on the couch if you want. Willow and Tara should be here soon, they kinda live here now." Riley nodded.  
  
"Thanks!" He told her.  
  
"Don't mention it. Guess I'll head to bed now too, goodnight." She said as she went upstairs. Riley just watched her go. The next morning Buffy left the house early while everyone was still sleeping. She decided to go to Spike's crypt. He was the only person that really seemed to understand her right now and the only one that she told about her being in Heaven. She didn't think the others would understand and she didn't want them to feel bad about tearing her out of there. She walked inside his crypt, making a habit of just barging in and saw him messing with the TV, as usual. Still not sure how he would get any channels out here, but she knew how he couldn't live without his "Passions," she never understood how anyone could watch that crap, but then again Spike wasn't just anyone. She just watched as he cursed the telly, as he would call it and she couldn't help, but laugh. It seemed like that was the first time she's really laughed since she came back. Spike then looked up and smiled at her.  
  
"Making a habit of sneaking up on me, love." She shrugged.  
  
"Have to do something to kill the time." He nodded.  
  
"Well, that's understandable. So, what brings you here so early in the morning?" Buffy just shrugged again and sat down.  
  
"Riley's back and it's kinda weird." Spike nodded and sat down in front of her.  
  
"So, soldier boy is back and yet you don't seem happy about it." He said.  
  
"I'm happy to see him, but I know it's only a temporary thing and I think having him here kinda makes things harder." Spike looked at her.  
  
"Did you tell him, you know about...?"  
  
"My death." Buffy finished for him. "It's okay, you can say it." Spike nodded.  
  
"Yeah, about that." Buffy nodded too.  
  
"It kinda slipped out, but yeah I told him. Not all the details, but I told him enough. All he needs to know anyway. Even telling him that was hard." Spike got up.  
  
"I wouldn't worry too much about it. You'll probably get back together and live happily ever after." Buffy noticed that Spike wasn't trying to be funny.  
  
"I wouldn't mind the happy ending, but I don't think we'll be getting back together. Like I said, I'm sure him being here is only a temporary thing. Besides, I don't think I would want to. I wasn't fair to him and I don't think either of us needs to go back to that. I don't need a boyfriend right now. I think that all I need is to just be with me." Spike smiled.  
  
"That's probably for the best." It was still dark outside and the two of them just sat in silence, not sure what else to say. She figured the sun would be up in about an hour so she decided to wait until then before she went back home. In the cemetery a group of vampires were gathered around their one victim. The mysterious vampire walked towards them and shook his head.  
  
"Isn't this a disgusting display. Sharing one victim and you call yourselves vampires. Not to mention feeding so close to sunrise. I'm guessing you lot haven't been around for a long time with this pathetic performance." The vampires dropped their victim and looked up at the intruder.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" One of the vampires asked.  
  
"I am Logan and I have been on this Earth a lot longer than any of you. So, this is how it is, you do what I want and I might spare your lives." The vampires looked at each other until the same one spoke again.  
  
"What do you want?" Logan gave a wicked smile.  
  
"The Slayer!" 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Buffy was at the magic shop looking for the vampire in one of Giles' books, she had a feeling that he was more than just an ordinary vampire. She wasn't having much luck.  
  
"The vampire said that he'll meet you again, when the time is right?" Giles asked.  
  
"Yep, doesn't surprise me. I do tend to be popular with the undead crowd." She kept looking through the books when she finally saw who she was looking for. "Wait, this is him. That's a face I can't forget." Giles looked at the vampire that Buffy pointed out.  
  
"King Logan III, ruler back in the 1600's. You sure this is him?" He asked her.  
  
"Positive, so he was a king, knew there was something. He's also about 400- years-old. They just keep getting older." Giles rubbed his eyes.  
  
"The older the more powerful. He knows about you Buffy, you need to be careful." Buffy nodded.  
  
"Always." She told him even though she knew it was a lie. Giles cleared his throat.  
  
"What do you think he wants with you?" Buffy shrugged.  
  
"What they all want, to kill me." Giles heard the sadness in her voice. "Well, he's not gonna get his chance. I'm going to look for him and get him before he can get to me. I'll see you later." She said as she left the magic shop.  
  
"So, he was a king and he's after you. You're very popular with the vamps." Spike told her while they were looking for the vampire. Buffy asked him to come along so she didn't have to do it alone. She gave a faint smile.  
  
"Yeah, it's funny. Vampires either love me or wanna kill me." Spike didn't say anything. "I just wish that there was something else I could be doing right now instead of looking for some powerful vampire that pretty much wants me dead, again. I mean I could be at home watching TV, or even talking to Dawn about boys, but no, this is my life." Spike looked at her as he kept walking and he smiled.  
  
"What is it that they say, life's a bitch..."  
  
"...and then you die, hey, already there." She said as she smiled at him, he smiled back. They kept walking in silence when Buffy heard a noise coming from the bushes nearby. She pulled out her stake and walked towards the sound. When she got closer Riley came out from hiding and she put her stake away.  
  
"That's the second time you nearly staked me." Riley told her.  
  
"Well, maybe you shouldn't be sneaking around. What are you doing out here?" She asked, annoyed.  
  
"Knew you were patrolling, thought you could use some help." Spike walked up next to Buffy.  
  
"She has help, mate." Spike said in a not so friendly way. Riley just glared at him. Buffy looked at both of them.  
  
"I could use both of your helps." She told Riley what she found out about the vampire from the other night.  
  
"I knew there was something different about that vampire." Buffy nodded.  
  
"Yeah, and we need to find him." They walked for what seemed like an hour and they weren't having any luck. Buffy let out a sigh. "Okay, I am officially bored. Where's all the vamps when you need them." Riley and Spike just stared at her. "Well, excuse me for wanting to kick some ass." She told them. Riley pointed up ahead.  
  
"Well, you got your wish." Buffy looked to see a group of vampires heading their way.  
  
"Now we're getting somewhere." She said as she pulled out her stake. Buffy was fighting two of the vampires while Riley and Spike were dealing with the other three. She kicked one in the gut, hard and knocked him to the ground, groaning in pain. Then she twisted the arm of the other vampire. She knew that it had been quiet recently and a group of vampires that suddenly show up out of nowhere was a little suspicious. She knew they were up to something. "Who sent you?" She asked. He growled at her.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know." Buffy was getting irritated and she twisted his arm harder, ignoring his painful cry.  
  
"Tell me or this arm is coming off. Who sent you?" She twisted his arm harder.  
  
"Do what you want to me, but I won't tell on my leader. He wants it to be a surprise." Buffy rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'm not really one for surprises." She raised her stake. "Either you talk, or you become dust." The vampire laughed.  
  
"I don't think that will be happening." With that the other vampire got up behind Buffy and hit her hard on the back of the head. She fell to the ground. The vampire smiled.  
  
"The Master will be proud." He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Man, she's heavier than she looks." The other vampire got up.  
  
"That's because you're just weak." He told him.  
  
"At least she didn't nearly break my arm, let's get out of here." The other vampire looked at where the others were fighting the two men with the Slayer.  
  
"What about them?" The vampire holding Buffy looked at them too.  
  
"They will take care of them." With that they both turned and walked away, with Buffy. Spike and Riley were still fighting the other three vampires and it was harder than they thought.  
  
"They got Buffy!" Riley yelled. Spike punched one of the vampires in the face and staked him while he was distracted.  
  
"I can see that, the Slayer can take care of herself. We have to deal with them first." Spike kicked another vampire and staked him when he was on the ground and Riley got the last one.  
  
"We should tell Giles what happened." Riley said. Spike nodded and they both headed to the magic shop. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
When Buffy woke up she had a huge headache. She looked around and wasn't sure where she was. It looked like she was in a cave. It was dark and she saw a lot of rocks.  
  
"Sleeping Beauty finally awakes." Buffy looked for the voice in the dark when she spotted Logan.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint." She said. "Where am I?" Logan smiled at her.  
  
"My lair. I know it's not much, but as the time goes by I'll find better. Sorry I didn't tidy up before your arrival. I want my queen to feel special." Buffy stood up.  
  
"Excuse me, your what?" Logan walked closer to her.  
  
"I have lived for quite some time. I was a powerful king before I was changed. I ruled everything and everyone. For centuries I have been searching for just the right person to be my queen and rule with me. Never found her, until now. I've seen Slayers and they never did anything for me, some hardly lived past seventeen. I've heard about you. Buffy Summers, one of the strongest Slayers that ever lived. From what I hear you have died twice and came back. I knew that you were the one I was looking for, so I came here to make you my queen and rule with me, for all eternity." When he finished Buffy glared at him.  
  
"I'm flattered, but I'm not a great ruler and I'm kinda human. I wouldn't last long." Logan grinned.  
  
"That is where you are wrong. You may be human now, but soon you will become a vampire, like me." Buffy rolled her eyes.  
  
"Why does that not surprise me." Logan walked closer to her so he was only inches from her face.  
  
"Soon Slayer, you will become mine." He touched Buffy's face and she jerked away.  
  
"You'll become dust before that happens." He smiled at her.  
  
"We'll see about that." He told her. At the magic shop the others were worried about Buffy after they found out what happened.  
  
"What could he want with Buffy?" Riley asked.  
  
"He's a vampire. I could only imagine that he wants to kill her." Giles said. Spike shook his head.  
  
"There has to be more than that. If he just wanted her dead he would have sent his boys to kill her in the cemetery instead of have them take her." He told them.  
  
"What if he wanted to kill her himself." Xander stated. Spike shook his head again.  
  
"I still think there's more to it. I'm not gonna find out waiting around here, I'm going to look for her." Spike said as he started walking to the door.  
  
"Wait, I found something." Willow said. Spike stopped and walked back to them. "We know that he was a powerful king when he was human, pretty evil too. Says he didn't even have much of a soul even before he was changed. Anyway, he may not really be a king anymore, but he still thinks he is and for centuries he has been looking for someone to rule with him. You know, someone like a queen. Someone pretty much as powerful as him." With that she stopped.  
  
"Buffy, that's why he wants her." Riley said, upset. "She may be powerful, but she wouldn't last long." They were all quiet until Spike spoke up.  
  
"He's gonna turn her into a vampire." They all looked at him. "Well, can't have that now can we. I'm going to look for her before she gets her new craving for blood." With that he left the magic shop. Riley went after him.  
  
"Do you think they'll be able to find her?" Dawn asked. Tara put her arm around Dawn.  
  
"I'm sure they will Dawny." Dawn gave a faint smile.  
  
"Hopefully they do before she becomes a vampire, because that would suck, literally." Anya said and they all agreed. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Spike and Riley were looking for Buffy in silence when Riley spoke up. "So, where do you think he's keeping her?" Spike shrugged.  
  
"My guess would be underground like every other vampire, unless he's like Dracula and would keep her in some kind of castle. He was a king so I wouldn't rule that one out, but I think we should check underground first. Maybe she's in a cave or something. I think I may have an idea of where to look." Riley nodded.  
  
"She told me how you've been there for her and protected Dawn. Thanks, for looking out and keeping her safe." Spike nodded.  
  
"Somebody has to. You and Angel both left her. I want her to know that I'll always be here. I care too much about the girl to leave, I guess you didn't." Riley stopped.  
  
"Just because I left, doesn't mean that I stopped caring about her. I came back didn't I?" Spike stopped and looked at him.  
  
"Yeah, but for how long. Buffy knows you're not here to stay." Riley looked at him.  
  
"Has she been talking to you about me?" Spike smiled.  
  
"She talks to me about a lot of things these days. We've gotten close since you've been gone." Riley glared at him.  
  
"You can wipe that smile off your face. We have more important things to worry about right now. We have to find Buffy before she dies, again." Spike nodded.  
  
"We agree on something." They kept walking when they came across a cave entrance. They just hoped it wasn't too late. Inside the cave Buffy was thrown against a wall. She hit her head, hard and fell to the ground. She looked up and saw Logan walk towards her. He grabbed her and pulled her up.  
  
"That is what you get for trying to fight me. You may be the Slayer, but I am older and more powerful than you, child. I suggest you stop fighting me and give in to your new destiny." Buffy spat in his face.  
  
"I own my destiny. You don't." Logan got mad and threw her back against the wall.  
  
"There's only a matter of time, Slayer." This time Buffy just stayed on the ground, not sure what to do. Riley and Spike were walking further into the cave.  
  
"I hear voices up ahead. It has to be her." Riley said. "I hope she's okay, she may be the Slayer, but I have a bad feeling about that guy." Spike nodded.  
  
"You and me both." He said as they kept walking. Logan grabbed Buffy again, this time harder.  
  
"Time to meet your fate, girl." Buffy was too weak to fight him off. She knew that she was going to die, again. She watched as Logan's face changed into the vampire he is. He tilted Buffy's head and brought his fangs to her neck. "Long live the king." He said as he bit her neck. Buffy closed her eyes and felt the blood drain out of her. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Buffy felt so weak when she heard something and she wasn't sure what it was. Logan dropped her and she saw an arrow sticking out of his chest. Then she passed out. He pulled the arrow out and looked at who shot it. Riley was holding a crossbow and Spike was next to him. "You will pay for that?" Riley went towards him, dropping the crossbow.  
  
"I highly doubt that." He said as he punched Logan. Logan grabbed his other hand and twisted it and punched Riley back. While they were fighting, Spike went to Buffy, not noticing anything else. He sat her up against the wall and brushed her hair out of her face.  
  
"You'll be fine, he didn't take much." He told her, not even sure if she heard him.  
  
"Spike, I could use some help here!" Riley yelled. Spike got up to help Riley.  
  
"You two cannot defeat me." Logan barked. Spike laughed.  
  
"We'll see about that, mate." He punched Logan in the face and kicked him into the wall.  
  
"I really wish Buffy was conscious right now." Riley said. Logan got up and didn't look too happy. He threw Riley out of the way and went after Spike. He grabbed Spike's neck.  
  
"You will not stop me from getting what I want. The girl is mine now and I am going to make sure you never interfere again." Then another arrow was fired and went right into Logan's heart this time. He dropped Spike and exploded in a cloud of dust, just like all the others. Spike looked up to see Buffy holding the crossbow.  
  
"Long live the king." She said, almost a whisper as she dropped the crossbow. Spike went towards her.  
  
"Looks like you came to at the right time." She gave a faint smile and was about to fall again when Spike caught her.  
  
"Careful, you're still weak. Good thing we got here when we did." Buffy nodded and rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Spike just held her. Riley got up and saw Spike holding Buffy. He didn't feel jealous. He felt that she was safe and that he would look after her. Back at the magic shop everyone was happy that Buffy was okay. Riley went outside and Buffy followed him.  
  
"You're leaving, aren't you?" She asked him even though she already knew the answer.  
  
"Yeah, but you knew that it would happen eventually. I really did miss you Buffy and it was great to see you again, but a lot has happened that has nothing to do with me anymore. I can't just come back into your life like nothing has changed. So, I think it would be best for both of us if I left." Buffy nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. It was good seeing you again." He smiled at her.  
  
"Likewise, I guess I better go now. Tell the others goodbye for me." He hugged her.  
  
"I will, don't be a stranger." She said as she hugged him back, then she let go.  
  
"I'll try not to." He started walking away when he turned back to her. "Also, if Spike tries anything..." She smiled.  
  
"Don't worry, I can handle him." He smiled back.  
  
"Yeah, but hopefully not too well." He waved to her and walked away. Buffy watched him go and went back inside the magic shop.  
  
"So, Riley left?" Xander asked. Buffy nodded and then looked at Spike who was just staring at her.  
  
"Can I talk to you?" Spike nodded and walked to the back of the store and Buffy followed.  
  
"So, you gonna be okay now that he's gone again." Buffy nodded.  
  
"Yeah, it was good seeing him again, but I think it's better this way. I wanted to thank you, for saving my life back there." Spike smiled.  
  
"You did the same for me." Buffy walked towards him.  
  
"I know things have been weird lately, between us. Being friends and all." Spike nodded.  
  
"Yeah, but I really don't mind it." He told her.  
  
"Okay, but I know that you want more, and I just don't think I can do that right now. It's not just you; I don't think I could do that with anyone at the moment." Spike nodded in understanding.  
  
"I figured that, the you not wanting a boyfriend right now thing. It's okay with me Buffy, there's no pressure. I'm fine with just being around you. I don't need anything else right now." She smiled at him.  
  
"Thank you, but if it helps any I see now that you've changed. Like you have been trying to convince me in the past. I just wouldn't see it, but I think I'm starting to." She went towards him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. Then she went back to the front of the store leaving Spike to stare after her, as he watched her go he smiled.  
  
"I love you, Slayer. That will never change." With that he walked back to the front of the store to join the others.  
  
The End  
  
I know the ending was a little corny, especially for me since I'm really not like that, but I didn't know how else to end it. Hope ya'll liked it anyway. I don't think it was my best one, but it was okay. I'm still pretty much new at the whole writing thing. This is just something to do to kill the time. Well feel free to let me know what you think and also if you thought that ending was corny, I tried. 


End file.
